Basics Of Conflict Management

Core Skills Academy

What is Conflict?

Conflict is when two or more values, perspectives, and opinions are contradictory in nature and haven’t been aligned or agreed upon yet, including…

What is Conflict?

(Cont.)

1. When you are not living according to your values.

2. When you feel that your values and perspectives are being threatened.

Can Conflict Be Positive?

Conflict is inevitable and often good! For example, good teams always go through a

“form, storm, norm, and perform”

period.

Getting the most out of diversity often means contradictory values, perspectives and opinions.

Conflict is often needed. It…

1. Helps to raise and address problems.

2. Energizes work to be on the most appropriate issues.

3 Helps people “be real”: For example, it motivates them to participate.

4. Helps people learn how to recognize and benefit from their differences.

The conflict isn’t the problem—it is when conflict is poorly managed that is the problem .

Conflict Can Be A Problem When It…

1. Hampers productivity 2. Lowers morale 3. Causes more and continued conflicts 4. Causes inappropriate behaviors

What Can Cause Workplace Conflicts?

1.Poor communication

For example: ❑ Employees experience continuing surprises, they aren’t informed of new decisions, programs, etc.

❑ Employees don’t understand reasons for decisions; they aren’t involved in decision making.

❑ Employees trust the rumor-mill more than management

What Can Cause Workplace Conflicts?(cont.)

2. The alignment or the amount of resources is insufficient.

For example: ❑ There is a disagreement about “who does what” ❑ There is stress from working with inadequate resources

What Can Cause Workplace Conflicts?(cont.)

3.”Personal chemistry”, including conflicting values or actions among managers and employees

For example: ❑ Strong personal natures don’t match ❑ We often don’t like in others what we don’t like in ourselves

What Can Cause Workplace Conflicts?(cont.)

4 . Leadership Problems, including inconsistent, missing, too-strong or uninformed leadership (at any level in the organization) as evidenced by:

❑ Avoiding conflict; “passing the buck” with little follow-through on decisions.

❑ Employees see the same continued issues in the workplace ❑ Supervisors don’t understand the jobs of their subordinates

Common Ways People Deal With Conflict

It’s important to be conscious of the various ways people may handle a workplace disagreement…

❑ Avoid it. Pretend it is not there, ignore it.

❑ Accommodate it. Give in to others to the extent of compromising oneself. ❑ Compete. Work to get your way.

❑ Compromise. Mutual give-and-take.

❑ Collaborate. Focus on working together.

Ways People Deal With Conflict

(cont.)

Which way would you choose to handle a workplace conflict?

If you chose either “compromise” or “collaborate”, you are on the path to smoother, more agreeable relationships with your co-workers and supervisors. Avoiding, accommodating or competing reflect either passive or aggressive behaviors, and would ultimately create tension, disagreement and frustration on the job without resolving the root of the problem.

Nevertheless when you are suddenly faced with a workplace conflict, your body might react with a… ❑ Pounding Heart ❑ Hot, flushed face ❑ Clenched jaw, fists

This is not the time to… ❑ Yell and Scream ❑ Call coworkers and/or management terrible names ❑ Pound the walls with your fists ❑ Threaten to quit or to cause bodily harm to another person or to yourself ❑ Curse and swear ❑ Leave your place of employment quickly in a huff (and still expect to keep your job) ❑ Do anything that you will later regret

However, it is important to be aware of your potentially negative physical and emotional responses to conflict and to have a plan in place to control them…

Try the following de escalation techniques

De-Escalating a Conflict

❑ Relax ❑ Breathe deeply ❑ Smile ❑ Keep your body language open ❑ Listen with an open mind; pay attention

By using these techniques you can diffuse negative emotions then begin to deflect conflicts by employing the following strategies…

De-Escalating a Conflict (cont.)

❑ Use “I messages” Ex . “I feel uncomfortable when you use language like that; Let’s respect each other when we speak.” ❑ Slow down a conflict with phrases like “ I think, I wonder if, What if…” ❑ Acknowledge the position of a participant. Use phrases such as can appreciate your situation… Thank you for your…” “ I ❑ Use open-ended questions such as “How would you handle this situation?”,”Could we find a solution that benefits both of us?”

What To Do If Conflict Continues…

❑ Consider calling a meeting with involved parties to specifically address the issues and to offer solutions to resolve the problem.

or

❑ If you have exhausted all the techniques suggested in this PowerPoint presentation, and you are no closer to a resolution, discuss the issue with a trusted manager or supervisor who could guide you in taking further steps toward successfully resolving the conflict.

Core Skills Academy Required Assignment

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This PowerPoint presentation was designed to bring your awareness to potential conflicts in the workplace and to offer you strategies to handle them if they do arise. Please carefully complete all assignments based on this PowerPoint.